Career and Education Opportunities for Medical Equipment Technicians in Austin, Texas

If you want to be a medical equipment technician, the Austin, Texas area offers many opportunities both for education and employment. About 2,530 people are currently employed as medical equipment technicians in Texas. By 2016, this is expected to grow 28% to 3,230 people employed. This is better than the nation as a whole, where employment opportunities for medical equipment technicians are expected to grow by about 12.8%. In general, medical equipment technicians prepare, sterilize, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment.

The income of a medical equipment technician is about $12 hourly or $26,570 yearly on average in Texas. In the U.S. as a whole, their income is about $13 hourly or $28,410 annually on average. Compared with people working in the overall category of Medical and Dental Assistance, people working as medical equipment technicians in Texas earn less. They earn less than people working in the overall category of Medical and Dental Assistance nationally. Medical equipment technicians work in a variety of jobs, including: sterilizer, equipment technician, and reuse technician.

There are thirty-five schools of higher education in the Austin area, including five within twenty-five miles of Austin where you can get a degree to start your career as a medical equipment technician. The most common level of education for medical equipment technicians is a high school diploma or GED. You can expect to spend only a short time studying to be a medical equipment technician if you already have a high school diploma.

CAREER DESCRIPTION: Medical Equipment Technician

Medical Equipment Technician video from the State of New Jersey Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development

In general, medical equipment technicians prepare, sterilize, or clean laboratory or healthcare equipment. They also may perform routine laboratory tasks and operate or inspect equipment.

Medical equipment technicians clean instruments to ready them for sterilization. They also report faulty apparatus to appropriate supervisors or staff. Equally important, medical equipment technicians have to record sterilizer test results. They are often called upon to operate and maintain steam autoclaves, keeping records of loads completed, items in loads, and maintenance procedures performed. They are expected to attend hospital in-service programs pertaining to areas of work specialization. Finally, medical equipment technicians examine apparatus to uncover leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair.

Every day, medical equipment technicians are expected to be able to evaluate problems as they arise. They need to listen to and understand others in meetings. It is also important that they see details at a very fine level of focus.

It is important for medical equipment technicians to start apparatus and observe gauges and apparatus operation to uncover malfunctions and to insure apparatus is operating to prescribed standards. They are often called upon to maintain records of inventory and apparatus usage. They also disinfect and sterilize apparatus such as respirators and oxygen and dialysis apparatus, using sterilizers and washers. They are sometimes expected to purge wastes from apparatus by connecting apparatus to water sources and flushing water through systems. Somewhat less frequently, medical equipment technicians are also expected to organize and assemble routine and specialty surgical instrument trays and other sterilized supplies, filling special requests as needed.

Medical equipment technicians sometimes are asked to examine apparatus to uncover leaks, worn or loose parts, or other indications of disrepair. And finally, they sometimes have to record sterilizer test results.

Like many other jobs, medical equipment technicians must be thorough and dependable and believe in cooperation and coordination.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Austin include:

Dental Assistant. Assist dentist, set up patient and equipment, and keep records.

Medical Assistant. Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of physician. Administrative duties may include scheduling appointments, maintaining medical records, billing, and coding for insurance purposes. Clinical duties may include taking and recording vital signs and medical histories, preparing patients for examination, drawing blood, and administering medications as directed by physician.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Medical Equipment Technician Training

Virginia College-Austin - Austin, TX

Virginia College-Austin, 6301 E Highway 290, Austin, TX 78723. Virginia College-Austin is a small college located in Austin, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily 2-year programs and has 825 students. Virginia College-Austin has a one to two year program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated forty-one students in 2008.

Everest Institute-Austin - Austin, TX

Everest Institute-Austin, 9100 US Hwy 290 East, Bldg 1-Ste 100, Austin, TX 78754. Everest Institute-Austin is a small school located in Austin, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs. It has 429 students and an admission rate of 59%. Everest Institute-Austin has a less than one year program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated 321 students in 2008.

Allied Health Careers - Austin, TX

Allied Health Careers, 5424 Hwy 290 W Ste 105, Austin, TX 78735. Allied Health Careers is a small school located in Austin, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 242 students. Allied Health Careers has a one to two year program in Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services, Other Specialties which graduated seventy-one students in 2008.

Academy of Health Care Professions - Austin, TX

Academy of Health Care Professions, 6505 Airport Blvd, Suite 102, Austin, TX 78752-3630. Academy of Health Care Professions is a small school located in Austin, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs. It has 188 students and an admission rate of 100%. Academy of Health Care Professions has a less than one year program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated thirty-five students in 2008.

Southern Careers Institute Inc - Austin, TX

Southern Careers Institute Inc, 2301 S Congress Ste 27, Austin, TX 78704. Southern Careers Institute Inc is a small school located in Austin, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs. It has 275 students and an admission rate of 82%. Southern Careers Institute Inc has a one to two year program in Medical/Clinical Assistant which graduated seventy-three students in 2008.

CERTIFICATIONS

Certified Flexible Endoscope Reprocessor:
The CBSPD is committed to the certification of healthcare sterile processing and distribution personnel regardless of their workplace setting.

Biomedical Electronics Technician:
Biomedical electronics technicians are expected to obtain knowledge of the principles of modern biomedical techniques, the proper procedure in the care, handling and maintenance of biomedical equipment and to display an attitude/behavior expected of an electronics technician who works in a hospital or healthcare environment.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas photo by Wikidiculous

Austin is located in Travis County, Texas. It has a population of over 757,688, which has grown by 15.4% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Austin, 88, is well below the national average. New single-family homes in Austin are valued at $139,500 on average, which is well below the state average. In 2008, 1,928 new homes were constructed in Austin, down from 3,155 the previous year.

The three big industries for women in Austin are educational services, health care, and professional, scientific, and technical services. For men, it is construction, professional, scientific, and technical services, and accommodation and food services. The average commute to work is about 22 minutes. More than 40.4% of Austin residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 14.7%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Austin is 6.5%, which is less than Texas's average of 8.1%.

The percentage of Austin residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 46.2%, is less than both the national and state average. Pilgrim Rest Primitive Baptist Church, Adam and Eve Garden Baptist Church and Pleasant Hill Baptist Church are all churches located in Austin. The largest religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church.

Austin is home to the Morris Williams Golf Course and the Sixth Street Historic District as well as Wild Basin Wilderness Park and Rudolph Gamblin Field. Shopping centers in the area include Capital Plaza Shopping Center, Capital Plaza Shopping Center and Lamar Plaza Shopping Center. Visitors to Austin can choose from Club Hotel by Doubletree Austin University Area, Austin Folk House and AmeriPark at Austin for temporary stays in the area.